Fragments of Time
by Nani Lupin
Summary: Spoliers for Ep. 13 and perhaps beyond. Seeing the show not necessary, but it makes more sense if you have. An in depth look at Ludovich: From his present into his past. The reason for the why of his ambitions. Ch. 2 "Spring" up
1. Prologue

There were many things Ludovich looked at for reasons other than what would be obvious.  
Standing in his penthouse, white suit and himself just as pale, he would look out over the city bathed in moonlight. While he would certainly notice the beauty that the slivery light gave the buildings, the way the moonshine softened the hard angles of the business centers that surrounded him, the way the roads far below resembled rivers so alien in civilization. While he would take note of all these things and enjoy it, for beauty in any form gave him pleasure, the reason he would look out of his window, sipping wine and standing silently, would be to think to himself: _Someday, this will be mine._  
It wasn't a thought filled with malevolence, about how the fools who had shunned him would pay; and it wasn't filled with some misplaced righteousness of how the world would be a better place when he ruled it. It was simply the thought of a man who wanted something and would take it. The thought of a man who did not think there would never be difficulties or setbacks, or that it would happen instantly or easily. Just a man who thought that whatever he wanted he would get, no matter how much planning and time had to be taken. It was a declaration of war of sorts.

He would never talk to people for reasons which were apparent, either. He had no need to bounce his ideas off others; all plans that issued from his mouth were perfectly formed. All the testing would be done inside his mind.  
When he did talk to people, it would be an extension of his thoughts. Ponderings out loud that people could answer, but the answers were something he usually didn't need. It didn't matter what people said to him, he would come to his own conclusions. It was just a way for him to hear himself better.  
That wasn't to say that he never took advice into consideration, he was nothing if not practical, but just that others' thoughts were never part of his process of conclusion.  
If someone asked him a question, when he did answer, it was never a direct answer. Preferring to draw them along with his train of thought. Not to irritate them or give display to his intelligence, but if he helped them to come to the same answers as he, he did not have to explain everything in detail. It saved time.

Sometimes, he would just sit at his desk and reflect. He was the kind of man who believed in learning from the past, though not in yearning for it.  
To wish for time, which was fleeting and constantly moving forward, was a folly and weakness he did not indulge in. But he would review his experiences to learn from them.  
From his childhood in military academy, where he had been drilled in leading men and making plans. There he had learned to read the enemy before making any plan, that one must always have a backup, and that men responded to real leadership. It was here that he discovered his talent and passion for leadership.  
It was in his life in high society where he had learned diplomacy and had obtained his taste for beauty. It was here that he learned that one well placed word could make or break you reputation better than any action, and he observed what power and money could obtain.  
His home life was one of strange relationships. The only thing his father had was his title, his lands did not produce anything and their fortune had been decimated in the last war. What little money they were able to procure his father spent on his private vineyards, it was no surprise that his son turned into a sommelier himself. Ludovich learned pride from his father, as well as the discipline to only demand the best. His father was much more hot-headed than his son, refusing all help from what friends he had in his time of need.  
Ludovich's mother was the one who was willing to receive extra food from them. It was not that she didn't have pride. She merely thought herself that pride taken too far was foolishness. She was willing to accept charity to continue her family, and would work to pay it back.  
From her, Ludovich took the lesson that sometimes more things could be gained from lying still than from demanding.  
By and large, most of the lessons he learned were on his own from observation. He spent most of his time at the academy, aside from the short holidays during the year. His parents were very nice to him, that was certain. But to say love was putting it too strongly.  
He wasn't even sure if they loved each other. When they were young they were a good match. And when he observed them, he was sure his father knew where his mother obtained the food. But he never said anything about it.  
And she didn't say anything about where she got it, or even ask her husband to lay down his family pride long enough to think about manual labor for extra money. It was a kind of duty that each knew they owed the other, a loyalty to the others integrity, that they didn't cross.  
Even to Ludovich himself, he never mentioned either of these things to his parents and as long as he respected them, they respected him.  
He was given free reign over the castle, to come and go as he pleased.  
Even years later, Ludovich would be able to cast back his mind and apply these lessons from the past to the problems he faced in the present.

But there was one time in his life that eluded him. He had gained a fortune from it.  
Indeed, without that particular year of his life, he wouldn't be where he was today.  
The only other thing he had gained was an antique watch. It was gold, it was an heirloom, it was Swiss and it still kept excellent time. But what the watch represented was confusion. For a man who had to take everything for himself, the watch was the only thing he had ever been given. Maybe that was part of the confusion.  
But no matter how many times he would take it out and look at it, relieve the experience, he could never understand what he was supposed to learn. The facts kept playing over and over in his mind. It was something he could never quite forget.  
The ultimate moral of the story he could not grasp.  
Maybe it was the giver herself. She was like something he had never met before or since...Maybe it was she he had never understood.  
It was strange. When ever he was facing a dilemma or savoring victory; whenever there was a decision to be made or just a thought to be followed to its end, when he wondered if he should act or wait, he would look at the watch. The movie that played through his mind was never relevant to the problems at hand, and he was never able to understand it, but Ludovich was always able to center himself once again after glancing at it.  
Again, maybe it was the influence of the original owner of the watch. Five years ago...it felt like so much longer.  
"Josephine..."

* * *

**A/N**: In case you just clicked on this out of curisoity, I highly reccomend downloading the series before reading this fic.  
. You know where it is. I think it's on Veoh as well. Either way, you won't regret it.


	2. Spring

It was springtime, everything aglow in the warm colors that creep out when Nature springs back to life. It was the time the birds came back, that flowers started budding, and it was the time that thoughts turned to love. It was a perfect time to meet.  
Maybe too perfect.  
People would later talk about them. Ludovich was young; he had a secure position as an officer, now that he had graduated from military academy; and as a noble, since his parents had recently been taken in an accident. The only thing he lacked was income. Most agreed that he had done an excellent job, considering the circumstances, in the way he had handled the affairs and debts left to him by his parents. He had even been able to retire most of the servants with minimal hurt feelings. But even with these drains on his finances gone, he did not own anything that was actively producing much cash flow.  
So it seemed like too much of a good thing that he should somehow happen to be in the right place to catch the eye of the daughter of the wealthiest man in the country.  
It was a party of some sort. The first of the season. It wasn't especially big, and it wasn't something one had to attend, but he had been invited, and that counted for something. He had made his way off onto the veranda, ever-present glass in hand, to get away from the crowd. Just because it was something he should attend, it didn't mean he had to mix. Being seen was enough.

That's where he saw her. Bobbed blond hair, big blue eyes, with graceful carriage, walking down the path that meandered around the lake, talking and laughing with her father about something he couldn't quite catch. All he did was look. He didn't call out, he didn't even move. But she turned her head in his direction and their eyes met. 'Love at first sight' was not, and still is not, something he believed in. It wasn't even something that crossed her mind, he was sure. But attraction? Yes, that is entirely plausible. The ability to love someone unconditionally without so much as even speaking to them was not a notion he bought into. The idea of love, as he was made to understand it, was a feeling of caring about anothers well being, caring because this person was like an extension of oneself.  
Having never experienced this feeling, Ludovich questioned the validity of what he had been told. Even so, the idea of this feeling manifesting itself over a glance...Fascination was a better word he would also ascribe to the scene.  
There were lovelier women. There were even richer. But there was something in the way she held her head, the way she held his eyes, the way she deliberately flirted with him on whim, he supposed. Then again, there was also her father, who gave him such a disdainful glance, almost daring to let any potential gold-digger try to scam his way into money. It was a challenge. The looks lasted all of 15 seconds, maybe less. But he would stare after the boat they both sailed off on, obviously private, with the name "Josephine" beckoning to him.

They met again at another party. This one was bigger, something that one did have to attend, and though he still did not have the requisite numbers that one usually had to obtain to be invited, the family name was still enough to get an invite, though he certainly wasn't treated as an honored guest. Not that he wanted to be. It was hard enough to make contacts with anyone while being paraded like an animal on display. It was also hard to make contacts while you had nothing but your youth, but unlike the last party, people of importance were attending, so mingling had to be done.  
She found him, coming up from behind and then getting rather brashly in his path. "Herr Ludovich?" He made a very military bow in response, an ingrained gesture. "Fraulein Kattsburg?", and he got a quick curtsy in response. She came up close to him quickly, and in a very smooth motion, entwined their arms and moved toward the doors leading to the garden. To an observer, it would have looked as if Ludovich had made the first move, though he himself knew better. If he was surprised at her forwardness he did not show it, though surely he appreciated he efforts to make it seem like a normal situation. Young girls do not lead officers of the military out to moonlit gardens.

She led him away from the party, not far enough away to be deemed indecent, but not close enough to be overheard.  
"I saw you by the lake a few weeks ago. Do you remember? You looked so interesting, but you were gone when father and I walked back."  
Not really knowing how to answer, or even if he should, he just kept silent. Or maybe that was his plan all along. He was never really a man that could be understood. She continued, in any case, looking him over. There was almost an appraising light in her eye, as if she was weighing her options of how long she would talk to him. "Where do you live?" she asked, without any preamble. Ludovich found himself explaining his family estate, the farms located on it, and other aspects of his life that he wouldn't normally share with others. He would have never told any of his peers, nor women, either. Privacy was a sacred privilege. But her eyes, they were genuinely interested and her questions were nosy yet well intentioned. After the span of about 20 minutes of rapid fire questioning, she made her excuses and said she had to go. Ludovich observed to himself that while she seemed to have been able to buy everything she wanted, her father kept a close eye on her.  
He seemed to bump into her quite often after that. At parties, or even just on the town. Of course, it would have been easy to find out her schedule. She was one of the most popular and eligible women around, but she was the one who usually initiated the conversation. Of course, as they bumped into one another more often, he would go across the room and exchange words. Polite ones, nothing more. Sometimes they would share a dance. But anything beyond that, he let her decide. Was it that he was humoring her, one of his many admirers? He did not lack in admirers, though he did not have any assets. He was handsome enough for that. Or was it that this was his plan? Was he drawing in an innocent girl into a trap that was almost invisible? Letting her make all the moves while he just waited for the right time to strike? Or was it a chance encounter, an opportunity that he was riding out? Did he know himself?

Ludovich would at least acknowledge the egoism that partly fueled their meetings. They both knew her father did not approve of him, 21, jobless, titled but still 'beneath' Josephine and all her millions. Ambitious, but for what? Ludovich was still looking for the answer to that. Ludovich, therefore, felt some sort of small victory whenever he spoke to Josephine, or danced with her, or she came up to him. It was nothing her father could object to, yet he knew it bothered him. Josephine felt the same way, but more out of a feeling of defiance than anything. Josephine, when she did ask questions of him, always listened with such earnestness. It is always nice to be listened to in that way.  
So they both had selfish reasons why they would meet up and chat. Why one day Ludovich invited her to his castle to see the antiques, could be interpreted very nicely or very badly as to his intentions.  
Josephine had said one day that she loved antiques and heirlooms. "I love them to death. They have such history, they have such depth. They are beautiful not only to look at, but to learn about as well. It started with own family's pieces, but now I've got collecting myself."  
Ludovich had taken a slow sip of wine before answering, "I have quite a few antiques myself. Entailed with the estate my parents left. They just collect dust right now." Another thoughtful sip. "Would you like to come see them?"  
She would have been well within her rights to cut ties with him right then. There was enough of an understanding between them that the invitation was for her alone, with no chaperone, and certainly not her father. In fact, for her to come it would have to be secret. Ludovich wasn't a welcome suitor or even friend for Josephine. And while certainly the rules of society were not as rigid as they were so many, many years ago, chaperones were still needed to have a good reputation in high social circles.  
Josephine said, "Yes," without any hesitation. Her frankness was something astonishing and refreshing. Of course, it was the product of a girl who always got what she wanted, and right now Ludovich was her toy. This much he thought. But the over-done coyness that made dealing with most other women 'of marriageable age' was thankfully missing in any dealings he had with her.

The antiques started a new phase in their relationship. The tour he gave of his home, not even her father could have complained about either of their behavior. She came to see his treasures, and he showed them off. She was quite knowledgeable herself, filling in gaps that his rather limited grasp of the family heirlooms history. She enjoyed herself immensely; he found out that some of the things he inherited were worth quite a lot, though he could not sell them. But the notion that he possessed something that no one else had, that was priceless, it gave a feeling of superiority, inane as he knew the reason was. At the door, she said, "There's an antique show and auction tomorrow in town. My father is away on business, so maybe we will bump into each other. I usually go early to watch them set up, by the old church."  
That was how it started, and the whole thing just gathered momentum from there. Josephine considered it her duty to instruct him on all she knew about antiques, and he listened, because she turned out to be something of an amateur-expert, if such a thing could exist. Ludovich found himself to be drawn into business as well. Was it Josephine's enthusiasm? She certainly came alive when she was asking questions about the background of a piece, or even just browsing. He found it was very easy to make her happy by finding some small piece of jewelry and calling it to her attention, or occasionally, buying it for her outright.

At a small outdoor fair, which was also hosting an antiquing show, they had been strolling arm in arm when a sudden downpour suddenly opened up on them. They quickly ran back to town and found an awning to hide under. Ludovich would have liked to go inside a building and order a drink, but Josephine stopped him. "It's going to stop soon, just wait here." She shivered slightly while saying that, and stood closer to him. A dangerous move, considering that her father was still in the dark about how much time she spent with him. She stood even closer, so that he was compelled to put his arm around her, or she would knock him off balance. Though some would later say she was brash, it could have been all according to a plan of Ludovich's. It is something that will remain a mystery. They stood there, waiting for the storm to end, Josephine enjoying the contact and Ludovich inscrutable.  
She looked up at him, her eyes trying to draw him closer, waiting for that moment that usually happens when two lovers are finally alone. He leaned in closer, so that she could feel his breath on her neck, smell his cologne.  
"Let's go inside now, shall we? It's cold and I still need that drink." Josephine normally would have felt disappointment over anyone who would be so spineless as to miss an opportunity like the one she had handed him. But as he pulled away, she thought she read something in his eyes like, _You think I'm that easy?_  
It was something to look forward to. "I never know what you're going to say." She said simply.  
They went in search of drinks.

* * *

**A/N:**

Any kind of reviews are welcome, since this is an experiment for me. I don't usually write this kind of story.  
And while no one really cares, most of the details in this story are found in artbooks. But this is fan fiction, and I don't really expect anyone to care that much...Especially with the anime I'm writing for.  
And he's German, so I will use those stupid terms like Herr.


End file.
